Paddle Smart Identification Sticker
We’re off the ground and running with Operation Paddle Smart, a campaign initiated by CG Pacific Area (District 11). Remember when I mentioned a few posts ago that we would have some stickers for small water crafts available? Well, they’re here and you need to get your hands on one (or a few, depending on need) for your paddle craft.
The sticker is a small, reflective orange waterproof rectangle that provides space for the owner’s name and two phone numbers. (Don’t forget to write with a waterproof permanent marker!) In situations where a craft is found without its paddler, the Coast Guard can quickly identify who to contact and determine whether they have an emergency rescue situation on their hands. This greatly reduces the number of resources that the Coast Guard spends on search and rescue cases (ones that often turn out not to be), meaning that their time and money will be better spent on actual emergencies, freeing them to save lives that are in danger instead of tracking down a paddler who simply lost a craft.
The sticker "will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to confirm overdue, if a boat is adrift, or if it is a SAR (Search and Rescue) case. Ninety percent of the time if a kayak is adrift, someone isn't attached," says Master Chief Petty Officer Whitson who works on search and rescue cases in the command center overseeing Coast Guard operations in the Pacific Northwest.
"If we can't call a person up and see if their kayak is just drifting, it turns into a SAR case. As soon as that happens, the helicopter goes up. Just getting the helicopter up and moving costs seven-thousand dollars. This sticker can save thousands of dollars."
It also saves the Coast Guard valuable time. "There's a huge time delay if that sticker isn't on a boat. This sticker is one of the best things that's been done."
So go out, get your sticker, and put it on your boat! And while you're at it, take a picture and share it with us. You can send your photos to d13ipa@uscg.mil and check back to see your photo posted on one of our sites.
The sticker is a small, reflective orange waterproof rectangle that provides space for the owner’s name and two phone numbers. (Don’t forget to write with a waterproof permanent marker!) In situations where a craft is found without its paddler, the Coast Guard can quickly identify who to contact and determine whether they have an emergency rescue situation on their hands. This greatly reduces the number of resources that the Coast Guard spends on search and rescue cases (ones that often turn out not to be), meaning that their time and money will be better spent on actual emergencies, freeing them to save lives that are in danger instead of tracking down a paddler who simply lost a craft.
The sticker "will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to confirm overdue, if a boat is adrift, or if it is a SAR (Search and Rescue) case. Ninety percent of the time if a kayak is adrift, someone isn't attached," says Master Chief Petty Officer Whitson who works on search and rescue cases in the command center overseeing Coast Guard operations in the Pacific Northwest.
"If we can't call a person up and see if their kayak is just drifting, it turns into a SAR case. As soon as that happens, the helicopter goes up. Just getting the helicopter up and moving costs seven-thousand dollars. This sticker can save thousands of dollars."
It also saves the Coast Guard valuable time. "There's a huge time delay if that sticker isn't on a boat. This sticker is one of the best things that's been done."
So go out, get your sticker, and put it on your boat! And while you're at it, take a picture and share it with us. You can send your photos to d13ipa@uscg.mil and check back to see your photo posted on one of our sites.
Paddle Smart Brochure: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=784965
Paddle Smart Sticker: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=785212 YOUTUBE Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jngOwH32xYQ Public Service Announcement: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=742089 Paddle Smart on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paddle-Smart-Identification-Stickers/316164896505
Paddle Smart Sticker: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=785212 YOUTUBE Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jngOwH32xYQ Public Service Announcement: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=742089 Paddle Smart on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paddle-Smart-Identification-Stickers/316164896505
